An activist has written to the President alleging malicious conduct by state authorities over his arrest related to comments made during the COVID-19 pandemic and the forced cremation policy.

In a letter dated April 6, Chirantha Amerasinghe said he was arrested in November 2020 by the CID without a complaint, based on information from the State Intelligence Service headed by former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, after making social media posts questioning the Easter attacks and opposing forced cremations.

According to the letter, Amerasinghe had stated that COVID-19 does not spread in water and that burial of those who died from COVID should be allowed, while also claiming the forced cremation policy was implemented despite scientific evidence saying burial was safe and aimed at hurting Muslim and Christian communities.

He further noted that a Cabinet decision in July 2024 later acknowledged that the burial of COVID-19 victims did not pose a health risk and apologised to communities affected by forced cremations.

According to the charge sheet, Amerasinghe has been accused of attempting to create panic among Sri Lankans by publishing false information on Facebook regarding COVID-19 and burial practices.

In his letter, Amerasinghe also questioned whether state institutions were protecting Suresh Sallay and called for investigations into the forced cremation policy and actions taken against him.

He also requested the President to seek an explanation from the Attorney General, order investigations into the forced cremation policy, and take disciplinary action against officials involved. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka human rights activist Chirantha Amerasinghe has filed a complaint against the State Intelligence Service (SIS) over his arrest in 2020 for a comment made regarding forced cremations during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Issuing a statement, Chirantha Amerasinghe said he had filed a complaint with the Police Headquarters against the SIS over its involvement in his arrest. 

Chirantha Amerasinghe revealed that based on information from the SIS, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had arrested him for claiming that ‘COVID-19 does not spread in water’.

He pointed out that the CID had arrested him without even a complaint being filed against him.

The human rights activist also said that later it was revealed that he was arrested based on information from the SIS, as he had also made a comment related to the Channel 4 documentary on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. 

Stressing that there were serious concerns over the actions of the Head of the SIS and officials involved in his arrest, Chirantha Amerasinghe called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this incident. (Newswire)

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